Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-04-22
FIRE AND DEATH.
Great Destruction to Lite and
Property by Dakota Prai.
rie Fires.
Three Persons Fatally Burned in Bea.
die County and Another Near
Mitchell.
(s1oux CITY JOURNAL srEc1ALs.)

(sIoUX CITY JOURNAL SpECIA1S.)
Reports from Huron, d. T.. say: AS
minated in the dispatches last night, pral-
RE fires did great damage south and north
from here. In Grant township, seven
miles south, and along Cane creek the
damage was greatest. Edward Maloney
and sister Kate lived on Fred Towns farm.
When the fire came up Ed was in the field
less than q mile from home. The fire was
three miles distant, the wind blowing from
the southwest thirty miles an hour. Be-
fore he could reach home the fire was upon
him.. He told his sister Kate and Annie
Marine, who was stopping with Kate, to
run to the plowed ground only q few rods
away. The ladies Immediately started for
the field, but the wind carried them before
it in another direction, and they were over
taken by the fire within ten rods of the
plowed ground. Mr.. Maloney went to
the barn to turn out the horses. III
m instant the house and barn were in
flames. Neighbors, seeing the buildings on
fire, started for the scene. Kate Maloney
was found a few rods from home, her
clothing nearly all burned off and hair all
gone and eyes burned nearly out. She was
taken to a neighbours. Annie Marine was
found q little further on, the clothing
| burned entirely from her body. She was
unable to speak, and was put in q wagon
and sent to her fathers, a couple Of miles
dis ant. She died this morning and was
buried from the Catholic Church this alter
noon. Edward Maloney's body was found
about forty feet from the barn. He must
have died from sutfocation. The remains
We've sent to Preston, Mimi, where his
parents reside. Kate is in II very CT teal
condition and cannot recover. The house,
with contents; also stable, horses. machin-
cry. etc, We're all destroyed. Loss, prob
ably 50, 500.
In the same neighborhood Elmer Will
sons barn and cont nts were burned, and
VIM. Yonells house, barn, cattle sheds
and machinery all destroyed. 1t is impos-
| sible to ascertain the loss, but it will reach
several thousand dollars with very little in
surance.
Besides the damage to the fair grounds
of 81, 900, the home of Mr.. Bronson, occu-
pied by William Amundson, two miles
north of the city, was burned. The family
saved only the clothing they had on. A.
II. Risdon lost his house, worth $500; also
! o. q. Parker's house. Loss, $500. Three
other houses unoccupied in the same neigh
borhood burned. The loss is probably
81, 1000.
In the vicinity of Mitchell details of the
prairie fires show great damage in several
directions. Northwest Of Letcher eight
farmers We're burned out, suffering losses
ranging from $500 to $4,000, losing build
ings, hay, grain, machinery and, in two in
stances, stock, and a son of j. p. Dister
was fatally burned while trying to save
stock. A farmer named Geo. L. Hammer,
sixteen miles south Of Mitchell. awoke tc
find his house in flames about 2 o'clock in
the morning. He and family barely es.
capped with their lives, losing everything
else. The fire is thought to he incendiary,
as there was no prairie fire near.
From Wakonda we learn that at about II
o'clock a. M. a large prairie fire was dis
covered coming towards the town from the
south. A very high wind was blowing
which carried the fire at q tremendous rate
AT the alarm everybody turned u to save
the town and help the neighboring farmers.
1t passed east of own about one mile and
was kept out only by timely and hard work
Full particulars are impossible to get al
this time, but it is reported that the fire
started about seven or eight miles below
there, at Tenants place, whose house
caught fire and burned, setting the prairie
on fire with burning fragments. Those who
suffered losses, SO Tar as known, are
John Cronan, large barns, sheds, grain,
machinery, some stock, ETC.; amount O
loss not known, some insurance. The fire
jumped a piece of blowing 800 yards wide
of his hay and barely s wed his buildings,
as did also Aaron Bobb. A. s.. Haver los
his barn and granary, 25 bushels of wheat
~ bushels of flax, several hogs and calves
and some machinery. Loss, over 5000
500 insurance. The old settlers all agree
that it was the worst fire they ever had te
contend with.
A Madison, Oak, special to the Pioneer
Press says immense prairie fires burned
over the south half of Lake County last
night. Some twenty-tiv farmers lost thei,
houses, barns, stock and grain. France
Keller was burned to death betw 'en his
burning house and barn. The Madison
fire department was called out to protec,
the town from fire coming from the ives,
before a wind blowing forty miles an hour
A special from Highmore says: An m.
mense prairie fire, raging about q mile
south OF town. driven by a srong vino
from the south, called out the citizens. l5C
strong, yesterday. A fire break two miles
long was made and the town is now free
from danger. At 2 o'clock the tempera-
ture was SO in the shade. Signal Observ.
er Lyons, at st. Paul, Says unless the
Northwest has rain within a few hours the
conditions will be highly favorable for cy-
clones. The weather here tonight is
warm and sultry.
A special from Milwnukaa VIC cow,